Speaking about the sinister scenes, Lucy Fallon – who plays Bethany – revealed: "Bethany's drugged and confused, so she doesn't really know what's happening. Nathan directs her towards a room with three of his mates, where it looks like she's going to be raped.

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"Bethany knows what's happening to her isn't right because she doesn't want to sleep with these men, but she can't see it as though she's being raped because she can't see past her love for Nathan.

"She really doesn't want to do it. She's been drugged by Nathan and he's saying that she doesn't have to do anything she doesn't want to, but it's all a form of manipulation. He might be saying that, but she knows full well what he expects of her.

"Then when there's three men in the room, she shouts for Mel. She's in shock and it's the first time she really starts to think that something is wrong – why are Nathan and Mel letting this happen to her?"

Either way, it's clear there's still a long road ahead as Bethany still refuses to believe any of their warnings about Nathan when they come face-to-face.

Lucy added: "At first Bethany is confused because she's been drugged, but then she's mortified that they can see what's been going on.

"But she still won't accept that Nathan's done anything wrong. She's not listening to anything that the Platts are saying to her and she refuses to believe any of it.

"It's going to take her a long time to get her head round it. She believes everything that Nathan says to her, because in her eyes, she's been in a relationship with him for the last six months. When people start saying to her that she's been groomed, she can't accept that, because to her they're engaged and they love each other.

"An important part of portraying this storyline is that a lot of survivors of grooming and sexual exploitation say that they still couldn't see what was happening to them until a long time after it had been exposed."

For more information on the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and how they can help you or someone who you know is in need, please click here.

Rape Crisis England and Wales works towards the elimination of sexual violence. If you've been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland's helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.

Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.